Hits keep coming for the circus – and it matters for meat

The animal entertainment industry took another hit last week when the New York City Council voted to ban the use of wild or exotic animals in circus performances. The pricey lawsuits and emotional rhetoric are very familiar to those of us in animal agriculture and the meat industry. The New York Daily News posted an editorial expressing concerns with the ban, pointing out that zoos could be next on the chopping block. Unsurprisingly, the move was applauded by the usual suspects – PETA, HSUS, Direct Action Everywhere, etc. A Direct Action Everywhere rep called it “just the beginning,” saying the ban is the “beginning of the end” of “the use and abuse of all animals” (which includes using them for food – the author includes a reference to slaughterhouse walls “crumbling to the ground”). Some may wish to keep quiet while activist groups target zoos and circuses – after all, every moment they focus on someone else is one they aren’t focusing on agriculture and the meat industry. That viewpoint is misguided and the sense of security will be short-lived. Any victory that activists can achieve in eliminating humans’ ability to use animals will provide them further ammunition in their mission to promote animal liberation. Burying our heads in the sand will not work for us.